A teen boy is accused of harassing and groping a woman on the Schuylkill River Trail over the weekend.
The woman told police she was rollerblading on the trail in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia around 5:30 p.m. back on April 15 when a group of seven to eight teen boys on bikes approached her. The woman said one of the teens then groped her before fleeing with the other boys towards City Hall.
“That’s terrible,” Diane George, a runner who frequents the trail, told NBC10. “I can imagine what that must have felt like. There are moments where you see like packs of kids together.”
Police say a similar incident occurred on the trail back in November of 2015 when a young boy riding his bike with friends inappropriately grabbed a 29-year-old woman while she was with her boyfriend. It was one of several reported incidents of harassment that led the city and the group Run 215 to create a trail watch group to help improve security. They also added emergency mile markers on light poles. The creator of Run 215 told NBC10 participation in the watch group has been low. He also says however the number of crimes on the trail has lowered and it remains one of the safest areas in Philadelphia.
If you have any information on the latest incident, please call Philadelphia Police.
